Come Out The Locker Room Stronger

Happy Friday and first of the month. I feel like I haven’t wrote a new blog post in forever. I truly try my hardest to put new posts up every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Last month, my creativity was extremely low. I’m very intentional about the blogs I put out. When I share these blogs, I’m not only speaking to you, but I’m also speaking to me as well. Over the last four weeks I’ve had plenty of post ideas, but when it came to sitting down and writing the words, I just couldn’t do it. After the first week that I missed posting, the second one flew by. Before I knew it, it had been four weeks and I hadn’t put out one single blog post. At first, I was so upset that I allowed myself to fall off, because I’m trying to be more consistent, especially because I want this to be my career. I was also upset, because I had a great streak going. In May, I was posting blogs consistently, going to the gym, and honestly doing great things. June came and I feel like everything came to a halt. Ultimately, I didn’t feel like working out, or writing blog post, or being productive. At first, I was so upset at myself that I allowed my feelings to stop me from doing the things I needed to get done. I sat in reflected on the month as a whole, because I am very optimistic and I try to find the positive in everything. Although June was a very off month for some things, I did do some other good things last month. I went to a networking event in Flint, Michigan, that was all about leaving your mark on the world and sharing your gift. The event was put on by Kyona The Lawyer, and some of the speakers were Mia Ray, Nichole Lynel, Shana Wilson-Williams, and more. I also went to see Sarah Jakes Roberts, speak and her sermon really set a fire in me. She spoke about doing what you're supposed to versus doing what faith requires you to do. She spoke about the woman in Luke 8:43 who was so desperate to break the cycle of what she's been doing, that she jumped out on faith and reached for God with the hunger and hope. I also went to visit some of my friends in Atlanta last month, which is always a great time. So just because on the surface it looks like I wasted an entire month, I still managed to pour into my own cup. 

I really can’t believe that July is here honestly. It’s officially the second half of the year. Plus, it’s the third quarter of the game of life. I’m not really a huge sports fan, but I do watch basketball from time to time. One of my favorite things about basketball is a team is never out of the game. What I mean by that is, a team could be losing the entire first quarter, but come back after halftime and win the game. I don’t know what coaches say to their team in the locker room, but it activates something in them to push harder in the second half. Think about it, there’s been plenty of comebacks in the NBA history. One of my top comebacks that I can remember watching, was when the LA Clippers were down 30 points to the Golden State Warriors in 2019. I remember talking smack about how the game was over and how GSW would have another victory. I was shocked to see them change the odds, and beat the warriors 135 to 131. There’s countless times in sports history where the underdog comes back and defeats the other team. Think of life in that same way. You may have been down and out the first half, but you can come back and have victory. You may be the underdog that every one has counted out, but you can change the story. When it comes to sports, half-time is used to prep and review the game. Coaches and players use half time to communicate adjustments to the team. I don’t know about you, but I used June as my halftime month. I got closer to God (my coach) and was still to listen. I assessed how I was doing and found the adjustments that needed to be implemented. I’m coming out the locker room with a new found drive. Sarah Jakes Roberts, said something in her sermon that woke something in me up. She said that it’s time to get activated. She said stop storing information like a library and start applying it. Break your own rules and dare to get hungry. Understand that God doesn’t always speak directly to you, he uses people as vessels too. Even if you didn’t use June as half-time, take this holiday weekend and use it to assess and adjust as we move into this new month. 

I recently reread James Clears, Atomic Habits. One thing that stood out to me this time, was what he said about a streak. He says that top performers make mistakes and break streaks, just like everyone else. The difference with them is they get back on track more quickly. The goal is not to miss, because we are human and we will miss sometimes. The goal is to never miss twice. According to Zarvana.com, "You will inevitably break your habit streak. Don't be surprised or discouraged. In fact, you should expect this. The key to mastering a habit is not maintaining a perfect streak; it's bouncing back every time you do break your habit streak.'' So yes, I did miss an entire month of writing and working out, but I won’t miss two months in a row. The problem is that when we fall off track, most of us stay there. The people who are successful, don’t allow mistakes to overtake them, or hold them back. Even if you are not a sports fan, you can learn a lot from sports industry. Players who really want to win, don’t allow what happened in the first half to keep them from going harder in the second. Pick yourself up, shake off whatever happened or didn’t happen in the first half of 2022. You still have six months to make this the best year yet. Whatever goals you set at the beginning of the year, can still be accomplished. Maybe you need a new approach to make the goal a reality. Break down that goal and come up with a action plan to get you there.